Why public boys' schools are a stand-up idea

[Globe and Mail, Wednesday, Nov. 04, 2009]

Jim Power

Ernest Hemingway wrote standing at his typewriter. That's hardly surprising, because research suggests boys are more apt to learn when they can move around. Because we all want to encourage tomorrow's authors sitting or standing in today's classrooms, many private boys' schools are experimenting with stand-up desks and other such initiatives.

Chris Spence's recent proposal for Canada's first public all-boys school offers an opportunity to weigh in with 180 years of lessons learned and cautionary tips for our public-school brethren. Some see their proposal as an exotic provocation, not a public policy initiative with precedents in Alberta's charter schools and thriving public boys' schools the world over.

The Hemingway example illustrates a broad point: Without stereotyping gender difference, we do believe boys and girls learn differently. Reams of research speak to that. While biology isn't destiny, it is proclivity. The point is, boys' schools aren't about segregation. They're about defining gender-selected strengths and teaching to them.

There's also a subtle point that hasn't been discussed much. Dr. Spence's move is reported as a reaction to a public system that has failed the many disengaged, learning-disabled or violent boys who lag behind girls. The cited causes range from fatherless homes to immigrant alienation to poverty.

While I'm enthusiastic about this initiative, my fear is this forward-thinking innovation will reinforce the old myth that boys' schools are a punitive last gasp – boot camps for the ungovernable and the delinquent. Only a sustained, conscious effort will ensure this school does not succumb to a reactive, remedial model of boys' learning.

It's a challenge. The new school will be set up precisely because those within its catchment aren't thriving in their current schools. By contrast, my school (Toronto's Upper Canada College) and others like it have entrants who possess academic strength to thrive in competitive environments and parents who have the means, or receive tuition assistance, to support them in realizing their potential.

Despite contrasting entrance credentials, this school can succeed for the same reasons others have. Boys' schools must articulate key values from the outset. Our challenge is to build character, to teach boys to explore modern notions of masculinity. We want boys to know it's okay to ask for help, to care and nurture. Most importantly, as teachers we demonstrate these traits so graduates can serve, unabashedly, as parents and community leaders who make a difference.

Boys' schools are uniquely situated to do just that. Consider a report for the Good Man Project, a collaboration of New Zealand boys' schools: “By their very existence, boys' schools encourage building a sense of pride in being male. In a world where much media focus is on the more negative aspects of young men, the ability of boys' schools to provide an alternative view cannot be underestimated.”

Boys' schools aren't simply about serving up a healthy dose of customized learning. They're places where boys aren't afraid to take risks, where it's okay to join the meditation group or the debating club, to cheer for underdogs and stand up to bullies.

It's not all warm and cuddly. Look at a typical pack of Grade 4 boys, tumbling about like puppies. Boys are, by nature, rougher and tougher, more physically competitive. Those who work at boys' schools need a deep understanding and comfort with that reality, while not falling for the simplicity of the old “boys will be boys” mentality.

It is a double-edged sword, so a final caution: Our students are apt to call themselves a “band of brothers,” while forming lifelong friendships. But it's an artificial tree house with no girls allowed. So we need to intentionally build in co-ed opportunities, especially in arts and service programs. You can't have it all. Our graduates often confess they hustle to get up to speed about deciphering the intricacies of female social cues once they hit universities or the workplace.

As an all-boys pioneer, this new school is encouraged to draw on the experience of UCC and other fine boys' schools, and of the International Boys' Schools Coalition.

Ultimately, all such schools are in the character-building business. But we only get there by refusing the remedial “reform school” model – that's no place for a boy to grow. Even Hemingway wouldn't stand for that.

Jim Power is principal of Upper Canada College.

Single-sex schools better, research shows

[Stuff.co.nz, 20/08/2009]

New research has backed the argument that single-sex schooling narrows the gap in educational achievement between boys and girls, and may even give boys the edge.

Evidence has been mounting in recent years that boys are slipping further behind girls in their schooling.

Statistics from the 2008 NCEA results added fuel to the fire, with girls outperforming boys at every senior level.

Only last month, Auckland researcher Alison Derbyshire said boys would continue to achieve below their potential until schools accepted they learnt differently from girls and looked at initiatives to help them.

Research released today by the University of Otago from the long-running Christchurch Health and Development Study showed that single-sex schooling may be the answer.

The study, published in the Australian Journal of Education, compared the educational achievements of more than 900 boys and girls who attended single-sex and co-educational secondary schools in New Zealand.

It found that for students attending single-sex secondary schools, there was a slight tendency for boys to outperform girls. In contrast, for students attending co-educational schools, there was a clear tendency for girls to outperform boys.
The pattern remained when students were followed up to age 25.

''These findings are consistent with the argument that attending single-sex schools reduces or mitigates the current gap between boys and girls in educational achievement,'' said principal researcher Sheree Gibb.

The effects of single-sex schooling on the gender gap were evident not only at secondary school level, but also in university attendance and results, she said.
The next step was to identify the particular features of single-sex schooling which were responsible for improving the boys' achievements.

Education system failing to keep boys

[TVNZ, New Zealand, Oct 11, 2008]

The education system is failing to hold on to boys, with latest figures showing they are leaving school early at almost twice the rate of girls.

A biannual report on the national school roll shows nearly 20% of boys enrolled at Year 11 last year did not go on to Year 12 this year.

The Ministry of Education's July school roll return, released this week, shows that of the 30,659 Year 11 girls enrolled in 2007, 3811 did not return to school this year.

The loss of boys was 6346 of the 32,173 enrolled between those two school year groups.

Between Years 12 and 13, the loss of girls was 5894 of the 27,102 enrolled the previous year, and the boys' loss was 6650 out of 25,809.

Education Minister Chris Carter said the number of students leaving school before 18 was too high.

"We want it to be like in the US, where graduation from high school is a big deal like, `I've done it, I've graduated from high school and I've got NCEA level two'," he said.

Labour and National are both making marginalised youth an election issue and are offering policies to deal with it.

Labour wants to keep all children connected with a school up to the age of 18.
National's youth guarantee promises to fund a free education outside school for teenagers who want to leave.

Labour's schools-plus policy sets an education and training age at 17 in 2011, which will be lifted to 18 in 2014.

Early leaving exemptions for 15-year-olds, which have attracted as many as 7% of enrolled 15-year-olds, will be scrapped completely.

The Post-Primary Teacher's Association (PPTA) has protested against the early leaving exemption policy, claiming it will stack schools with students who do not want to be there.

However, Mr Carter said the schooling system would offer "a whole lot of alternatives" in the hope they will catch the interest of those who would otherwise give up on school.

Qualification figures show growing gap between sexes

[NZ Herald, Friday July 25, 2008]

By Martha McKenzie-Minifie

Girls are still outdoing boys in university entrance - and new figures show the gap has widened.

Last year, 45 per cent of female school leavers got the qualification, or an equivalent, compared with 33 per cent of the males.

Despite high-level work on the issue, the 12 percentage point "gender gap" was the largest in four years. Between 2004 and 2006 it had held steady at 10 percentage points.

The rise is a 20 per cent increase in the gap compared with a year earlier but is described in the latest Ministry of Education's school leavers report as "relatively unchanged".

Education Minister Chris Carter said a specialist reference group's report on boys' achievement was due in about a fortnight.

The gender gap might relate to the emphasis on internal assessment in modern qualifications systems, as opposed to end-of-year external exams, he said, and New Zealand was not alone. "This in an international trend. Educationists all over the world are grappling with this."

The data, released yesterday, showed that overall more students were leaving with higher qualifications. Sixty-six per cent leaving secondary school last year achieved level 2 NCEA or above, up from 60 per cent in 2006.

The proportion with little or no formal attainment halved, from 11 per cent in 2006 to 5 per cent last year.

Boys education failure continues to be ignored

[Scoop Independent news, Friday, 30 May 2008]


United Future deputy leader Judy Turner says that the education gap between girls and boys demands immediate action. Her comments follow a report showing that boys are behind at every level in reading and writing, and that more needs to be done to provide a male-friendly learning environment.

The report found:

* There is no difference in the rate of truancy for boys and girls, but significantly more boys, Mâori and Pasifika boys in particular, are stood-down and suspended; are excluded or expelled; and gain early leaving exemptions.

* Females are more likely than males to gain an NCEA qualification at all levels.

* Females tend to stay at school longer and leave school with higher attainment levels than males.

* Males are more likely than females to leave school with little or no formal qualification but this difference has decreased over recent years.

“A huge percentage of boys arrive at intermediate or high school already years behind their appropriate reading age. This is inexcusable – their reading problems are holding them back in their other subjects too and they often never recover,” says Mrs Turner.

“The fact that there was a concerning gender gap five years ago, and that there still is now should not be any relief to the Minister. Does he find this gap acceptable as long as it doesn’t get wider?”

After five years of NCEA system, the gender gap measured 10-12 percent in favour of girls. That means for every six girls in New Zealand schools, only five boys pass NCEA level 1.

“Boys need more attention and the system needs to change to better accommodate the needs of boys at a young age. The flow on effect at University level is obvious and of great concern.

Figures show that 44% more young women than men were enrolled for bachelor degrees. The statistics for Maori is even more concerning, with only 34% of Maori university graduates male, compared to 66% female

“For a start, we desperately need male teachers in primary schools to provide both quality care and education, and provide positive male role models for our young children," said Mrs Turner, a former primary teacher.

"Nationally, only 18% of all primary school teachers were male for the years 2003-2006, down from 19% in 2002.

“This is a huge problem that has not been adequately addressed or acknowledged by the Ministry or the Government. I challenge the Minister to publicly acknowledge that we have a problem in our education system that adversely affects boys, and to commit to finding solutions,” says Mrs Turner.

School friends key to success

[www.sciencealert.com.au, Sunday, 19 August 2007]

Massey University

Boys say having friends at school and having a lot of physical activity are very important for their happiness and success.

These were priorities for most of the more than 350 secondary schoolboys interviewed by University researcher Michael Irwin in a study of what boys believe enhances and inhibits academic success.

Auckland-based Mr Irwin, from the College of Education, initiated New Zealand’s first national conferences on the under-achievement of boys and has been at the forefront of research exploring the reasons why boys lag behind girls at school and feature in many of the negative statistics relating to accidents, learning difficulties, and educational achievement.

Asking boys themselves what makes school a good place for them to be is, he says, an important part of providing successful education for them.
He found that having a group of friends, supporting them socially and assisting and motivating them educationally, was a huge factor in boys’ lives.
“Almost without exception the boys I interviewed said being with their mates at school was very important to them. I have found that throughout their schooling these close groups of, say three to five boys, are very important to each boy individually in significant ways. They develop their own identity through these groupings, they share ideas, they will often discuss learning issues in these groups and it is often these ties that have a very positive influence in keeping them at school.”

Physical exercise was also a high priority and Mr Irwin says schools need to look seriously at how they meet this need.

“Schools need to provide much more opportunity than they currently do for boys to be physically active. We know from existing research that physical activity and sport brings many benefits from bonding to stress release, mental stimulation and providing an outlet for competitive spirits.”

He also found boys wanted learning to be challenging and for school to be fun.
“They don’t want learning to be too hard or too easy. They want to be challenged and they feel the best way of meeting those challenges is to work together in groups with a problem-solving, hands-on approach.

“Most showed a high dislike of what they felt to be too much copying and writing things down at school.

“Almost all wanted to have fun, to have a laugh and for their environment to be one that they enjoy. This is the same thing that motivation researchers are also telling us.

“Schools need to take note of what matters most for boys at school – the importance of mates, the need for physical activity and for challenge in learning and the desire for school to be fun.”

Mr Irwin’s research highlighted some common attributes boys expected of their teachers. They wanted their teachers to focus on learning not content, to use humour, to collaborate and listen, to explain, to set clear expectations, to help them individually, to give specific feedback, to use activity based learning and co-operative learning, to be fair in managing behaviour.

What boys want from schools and teachers

Massey University, August 2007

Boys say having friends at school and having a lot of physical activity are very important for their happiness and success.

These were priorities for most of the more than 350 secondary schoolboys interviewed by University researcher Michael Irwin in a study of what boys believe enhances and inhibits academic success.

Auckland-based Mr Irwin, from the College of Education, initiated New Zealand’s first national conferences on the under-achievement of boys (when, two years ago? Three?) and has been at the forefront of research exploring the reasons why boys lag behind girls at school and feature in many of the negative statistics relating to accidents, learning difficulties, and educational achievement.

\ Asking boys themselves what makes school a good place for them to be is, he says, an important part of providing successful education for them.

He found that having a group of friends, supporting them socially and assisting and motivating them educationally, was a huge factor in boys’ lives.

“Almost without exception the boys I interviewed said being with their mates at school was very important to them. I have found that throughout their schooling these close groups of, say three to five boys, are very important to each boy individually in significant ways. They develop their own identity through these groupings, they share ideas, they will often discuss learning issues in these groups and it is often these ties that have a very positive influence in keeping them at school.”

Physical exercise was also a high priority and Mr Irwin says schools need to look seriously at how they meet this need.

“Schools need to provide much more opportunity than they currently do for boys to be physically active. We know from existing research that physical activity and sport brings many benefits from bonding to stress release, mental stimulation and providing an outlet for competitive spirits.”

He also found boys wanted learning to be challenging and for school to be fun.
“They don’t want learning to be too hard or too easy. They want to be challenged and they feel the best way of meeting those challenges is to work together in groups with a problem-solving, hands-on approach.

“Most showed a high dislike of what they felt to be too much copying and writing things down at school.

“Almost all wanted to have fun, to have a laugh and for their environment to be one that they enjoy. This is the same thing that motivation researchers are also telling us.

“Schools need to take note of what matters most for boys at school – the importance of mates, the need for physical activity and for challenge in learning and the desire for school to be fun.”

Mr Irwin’s research highlighted some common attributes boys expected of their teachers. They wanted their teachers to focus on learning not content, to use humour, to collaborate and listen, to explain, to set clear expectations, to help them individually, to give specific feedback, to use activity based learning and co-operative learning, to be fair in managing behaviour.

Mr Irwin will present his research, Boys’ perceptions of what enhances and inhibits their academic success, in London next month to the British Education Research Association.

http://masseynews.massey.ac.nz/2007/Press_Releases/08-15-07.html

John Morris: Back to basics for successful boys

The New Zealand Herald, Friday April 29, 2005


* John Morris is headmaster of Auckland Grammar School.


The Minister of Education has recently set up a think tank to investigate the reasons why boys are not achieving as well as girls in the secondary school system.It is not before time. In 2000 I wrote a piece for the Herald outlining the growing disparity in achievement between the genders.In the interim the situation has become worse, largely because of the introduction of NCEA. The resultant increase in on-course assessment has been well proven to favour the way that girls work and further militate against boys achieving to their potential.

In Australia, Britain and the United States there has been voluminous work done on this issue and the minister has wisely suggested that a review of the available literature would be one of this think tank's tasks.I am delighted that the ministry is also doing some research on this topic. In the past, intensive independent research has not been a strong point of the ministry or New Zealand Qualifications Authority. If it had been I am sure NCEA would have a vastly different look about it than it does today.One key part of the research for the four principals chosen for the think tank (two of whom lead South Island boys' schools) should be to talk to other heads of boys' schools around the country, particularly those schools that have a proven record of academic success in external exams.These people, more than most, know how boys work and what works with boys.Boys' schools are uniquely placed in this regard because, unencumbered, they are able to operate best practice for boys.They do not necessarily have to consider political correctness and pedagogical orthodoxies, because they can focus exclusively on what is best for boys alone.There have long been arguments about whether boys do better in single-sex schools than in co-educational schools.From my experience teaching for 31 years, 20 of those in boys' schools ranging from decile 3 to 10, I believe strongly that boys in boys' schools outperform boys in co-educational schools.

A glance at the 2003 University Bursary league tables will give an indication of this. While boys' schools account for fewer than 10 per cent of the country's schools in total, five of the top 20 performing schools in Bursary last year were single-sex boys' schools - 25 per cent.This is not an aberration. The academic success of boys' schools can be traced back throughout the history of Bursary exams.The reason for this is clear: boys do have a different way of working from girls. This requires an approach to teaching and learning that is different from today's accepted orthodoxy.Boys' schools that recognise these differences are able to implement strategies and programmes that suit the way boys learn and therefore enhance boys' prospects of academic success.

There are undoubtedly many things that impact on the academic success of boys but experience would suggest there are 10 non-negotiable traits that need to be implemented to ensure they reach their academic potential.They are, in no particular order:* Structured teaching and clear organisation.

* Discipline and order with few distractions.
* Clear targets set and met.
* Competition.
* Work that is meaningful and challenging.
* Material is presented in a way that is as relevant as possible to boys' lives.
* Homework is focused and brief, marked and returned promptly.
* Activities are purposeful and lead to a result.
* There is a reliable ladder of progress, and explicit rewards are provided to channel boys' competitiveness.
* Teachers actually teach; direct instruction, rather than the child-centred voyages of discovery so much loved and espoused by the doctrinaire teachers' colleges, has been proved the most successful approach with boys.

It could be argued these traits are also significant in the academic success of girls, and I would not disagree. However, I believe boys temperamentally depend much more than girls on these principles of traditional education and without them struggle to reach their potential and compete.In its research planning into boys' underachievement I suggest the think tank does not get too esoteric but rather concentrates on the basics, much like the successful teachers in successful boys' schools who continue to stress the basics and reap the rewards of academic success for their boys.

In boys' schools the 10 traits listed arguably constitute best practice and allow boys to develop their own thoughts and views and to become independent learners.There are of course those who, brought up on the child-centred pedagogy, doubt that independent learners can develop from such an approach.I firmly disagree. I am constantly excited to see boys grow, mature and become young men confident of their own views and thoughts.I was delighted to see that when the Education Office reviewers last visited Auckland Grammar School they recognised this fact and noted that the positive school tone and high standards of teaching had produced confident, independent learners (ERO Report 2001).

For years boys' (and girls') schools have successfully helped students to develop a strong sense of self-esteem and worth, while accommodating differences in learning styles and creating a climate of disciplined achievement.In large part this is because teachers in boys' schools are able to embrace the distinctive tempo, sequence and style of learning specific to boys.Of course most boys in New Zealand attend co-educational schools and such specialisation is much more difficult. But if we genuinely care about the academic progress of boys generally, then some of the methods used in successful boys' schools must be looked at and perhaps tested in a co-ed environment.